DJ Q&A: Samo Sound Boy
When he was 20 years old and living in Argentina, Samo Sound Boy learned to DJ at a club called Fugees 99 for just a few pesos. Catch him opening for Zombie Nation April 22nd at Mighty.
With so many types of music surrounding him from worldly cumbia to crunk, Samo Sound Boy brought those influences back to the states with him and continued furthering his DJ career. Now releasing hits from Trouble and Bass records and remixing tracks of artists like Hostage and Bassanova, his bass-heavy ghetto crunk sound is quickly garnering attention of heavy hitters like Sinden and Drop the Lime.
Where did the name Samo Sound Boy come from?
Samo was just a nickname from my friends. I think “DJ Samo” was taken when I was trying to make a MySpace page or something for my early music. I just switched it up a bit to Samo Sound Boy.
Since you started DJing in Buenos Aires, would you say your stint there had a big influence on what you play now?
Yeah, but it was more than learning to DJ in Buenos Aires as a city, it was Fugees 99 in particular and the DJs I was learning from that had a big influence on me. During that time, at least, it was a place unlike anywhere else in the city. Most of the clubs/DJs were trying to emulate some sort of big room Euro style, but everybody at Fugees was playing in a much rawer way, just mashing records and really going in hard.
Also the crowd wasn’t really that friendly there, so the DJs had to really keep it moving all the time, especially on the weekends. It was this relentless fast style, and quick mixing that I definitely still carry with me in the clubs.
You recently signed with Trouble and Bass Records. How did that make you feel? What’s the best part?
I feel great about being with Trouble and Bass. They showed me a lot of love very early on, bringing me out to play with them on the East Coast before we even did a record. Also they supported my early tracks before a lot of other people. When it came time to get serious and figure out the best way get my stuff out for the future, I wanted to work with them because we already had a good relationship.
Since then, it’s just all love. Luca (Drop The Lime) has been really major in helping me navigate things and encouraging what I want to do. He thinks really big, and it’s pretty much impossible not to be inspired by that. I couldn’t imagine working with better people, really.
Since you’re based in L.A., what’s one difference you can tell us about the party scene over on the East Coast?
The East coast was great. The lasting impression I had from that tour though, was just how there are these pockets everywhere of people playing and supporting really interesting and forward club music. It was pretty inspiring actually, just to see all these promoters and DJs, putting in serious work to support this music, without really expecting a lot back in return. They were just doing it for the scene and the love.
It made me look at L.A. differently, too. Unlike, some places where people are doing a lot with a little, L.A. is a place where there’s a ton of other amazing producers and resources. It’s like were all really lucky to have that out here, so we’ve got to really use it and keep moving things forward all the time.
Your sound ranges from Latin beats to rave. Does it fluctuate with what genre people are paying attention to the most at the time or do you enjoy putting a melting pot of everything in your sound?
I approach everything I make as just a piece of my own sound. I have a lot of different influences, but the end product is all me. In terms of what people are paying attention to, I guess I kind of feel like I fight against that. The producers and DJs whom I identify with are all doing that too.
People like Brenmar, LOL Boys, Dubbel Dutch, and NGUZUNGUZU all make stuff that’s just their own and doesn’t need a category or genre name on top of it. I think that’s harder for people to get their heads around sometimes, but ultimately that’s where the real creativity is happening — outside of genre lines, and trends. For better or worse, that’s the world I’m trying to stay in and bring when I DJ and produce.
What are you looking forward to doing in SF and what can we expect from your set?
I probably should keep this on the DL, but I actually like the burritos better in SF than LA.. Mission-style burritos are what’s up, so I want to eat one of those for sure! From my set, you can expect a lot of new tracks from me and crew. If everything’s on schedule, I think I’ll have a final version of my new single ready to play, too. It’s called “Shuffle Code” which means fire everywhere!
Samo Sound Boy performs at Zombie Nation on April 22nd. Tickets are $10 in advance and the party starts at 10pm.
